Features:

Lukas Schmid

Senior Business Analyst
M. Bohlke Veneer Corporation
Fairfield, OH

Lukas Schmid has always been a little restless. After high school in Germany, he spent a year as a paratrooper in the German Army. After that, he became a police officer. And in college, he started out as a marketing major, eventually shifting to accounting.

Why accounting? “At one internship, my boss told me ‘the ones controlling the numbers are the ones that make the decisions,’” Lukas says. “I didn’t believe it at first – after a while I realized she was right.”

After more than four years as an auditor with Deloitte & Touche, Lukas joined the M. Bohlke Veneer Corporation as a Senior Business Analyst. Both jobs have suited his restless personality. He now works with the German owner as well as the American CFO of the company.

“I love the diversity that my job offers,” he says. “In the morning, I may communicate with our financial advisors in Germany and Switzerland, then in the afternoon I may sit in an insurance meeting with the CFO or interview my coworker in the traffic department to figure out how to make our processes more efficient.” Lukas enjoyed his time as a senior accountant in public accounting but was presented with a great opportunity to move on. “I’m able to apply many things that I learned in public accounting. I’m grateful for all the experiences my previous job offered.”

If you’re trying to figure out your career, Lukas has a few simple words of advice: “Starting out in public accounting is a great way to start your career. But in the end, it’s your hard work and dedication that will pay off."